Abstract
The triboelectric charge attributes of the pure feldspar, quartz and wollastonite mineral samples, after contact with plate and cyclone type tribochargers made up of different materials were investigated. The main electrical properties of the minerals, i.e., electrical conductivity and dielectric constant, were measured and their energetic work functions were estimated. In addition, the behaviour of mineral samples in the electric field of a free-fall separator before and after chemical treatment with different organic reagents was deduced.The results reveal that the cyclone tribochargers are more effective in imparting charges on mineral grains. The reproducible charges with higher magnitudes are created when cyclones are used for imparting charges on mineral grains. Furthermore, in spite of having relatively similar energetic structures for the three minerals, the Teflon tribocharger demonstrates the feasibility of quartz separation from wollastonite and feldspar. The salicylic acid conditioning promotes feldspar-wollastonite separation.